MAGNUM In Magazines

Migraines

Health Quarterly Magazine
January, 2005
by Kipp Lynch

These are not your standard tension headaches.

Michael John Coleman has suffered migraines since age 6. He shudders when he looks back at the severity and intensity of the migraines that he suffered in his 20s and questions whether he would have been able to endure pain of that severity today. Coleman -- an award winning fine-art photographer -- spent several years fighting for disability rights. During this lengthy process he encountered numerous misconceptions about migraines.

His experience drove Coleman to create an organization dedicated to migraine sufferers with a goal of dispelling myths and fostering a greater understanding of those who experience migraines. Continue reading...

Not Just A Headache

Health Magazine
May, 2004
by Emily Sohn

The bad news: You may have Migraines.
The good news: There's help.
Read this article...

A Revolution in Migraine Care

Forbes Magazine
June, 2003
by Gary Gately, HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, June 5 (HealthDayNews) -- Not long ago, migraine sufferers had no choice but to head for darkened bedrooms to wait out the pain. Or they could down powerful painkillers that could lead to ferocious "rebound" headaches and, ultimately, addiction.

Often, doctors couldn't -- or wouldn't -- help much. As recently as a decade ago, many of them dismissed migraines as psychologically based ailments, essentially telling patients, "It's all in your head."

But dramatic breakthroughs in recent years have led to better understanding of migraines, which produce intense, throbbing pain, typically on one side of the head, sometimes accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. And new treatments have vastly improved the prognosis for sufferers. Continue reading...

Fighting Back from Migraine Headaches

U.S. News & World Report
by Susan Brink
1999

Speedy relief, and an exhilarating comeback

"I got hit, and I was on my knees," remembers Terrell Davis. "I knew that the migraine was coming."

Millions of Americans watched the Denver Broncos running back leave the field during Super Bowl XXXII, trying to hide from the glare of the San Diego sun by wrapping a towel around his head. To the 25 million or so people who, like Davis, suffer from migraine headaches, the idea that he would be bounding back onto the field less than an hour later must have seemed almost unthinkable. Continue reading...

Web Reviews: The Best of '99

Access Magazine, Cover Story
January 1, 2000
by Access Staff

209 of our favorite 4-star sites

We've had a busy year at Access Internet Magazine. Poring through thousands upon thousands of sites to bring you the best takes time, weêve learned. In all, 1,800 sites earned a coveted place under our "worth the trip" banner in 1999. Based on its content, design and composition, each site earned a two-, three- or four-star rating. Here are updated reviews of 209 of our favorite four-star sites broken down into the following categories. Read more...

The Dangers of Self-Dosing

U.S. News & World Report
News You Can Use, July 13, 1998, HEALTH

New labels could give needed information
by Stacey Schultz

When people who suffer from chronic headaches feel one coming one, they grab a few tablets of common pain relievers such as aspirin or acetaminophen, the generic name for Tylenol. The pain returns and they grab a few more. It's an over-the-counter drug, so how dangerous can it be?

Quite dangerous. Doctors call these recurrences "rebound headache," and say they are caused by the pain relievers themselves as the amount of the medication builds up in the body, sometimes to toxic levels.

Many people treat themselves for common ailments with drugs they can buy without a prescription. They often assume there is little danger in frequent or sustained use of the drugs, such as Tagamet, the stomach acid reducer, or Afrin, the nasal decongestant. The warnings on the containers may be inconspicuous, and advertisements may not spell them out--or mention them at all. That's because over-the-counter drug advertising is regulated by the Federal Trade Commission. As long as claims can be backed up by studies, nonprescription drug manufacturers are free to declare the benefits of their products without disclosing possible dangers. That stands in contrast to the strict rules for prescription drug ads, applied by the Food and Drug Administration, that require communicating both benefits and risks.  Continue reading...

Heading Off Migraine Pain

FDA Consumer Magazine, Cover Story
May-June, 1998
by Tamar Nordenberg

In the first quarter of Super Bowl XXXII last January, Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis was hit hard and walked off the field with a towel draped over his head. A developing migraine made the sunlight difficult to bear.

So how did a person suffering from migraine, a condition that can cause debilitating pain, return after halftime to score the winning touchdown and earn Most Valuable Player status? The answer: He recognized the early warning signs and immediately took an effective drug to control his pain.

Michael John Coleman, founder of Migraine Awareness Group: A National Understanding for Migraineurs, or MAGNUM, appreciates the challenges migraine sufferers face. Coleman has himself suffered with bouts of severe migraine headache pain since age 6. During an attack, he says, "I felt like I was being beaten up by a gang." Coleman's attacks used to last 72 hours or more; a couple lasted more than two weeks straight. "It was nightmarish, when I look back at it. I don't know if I could live through that again."  Continue reading...

Headaches and Migraines

Access Magazine, 1999

Access Rates Headache and Migraine Web Sites

MIGRAINE AWARENESS GROUP: M.A.G.N.U.M.

A nonprofit health care organization conceived in 1993, MAGNUM offers an outstanding array of information for America's estimated 26 million migraine sufferers. Though the site can be slow to load, the bicoastal list of migraine and headache clinics, drug profiles, alternative treatments and questions to ask your doctor are worth the wait. Migraine sufferers should click on Disability & Impairment to read articles on coping with migraines at home and work. Myth and Reality dispels common fallacies about migraines. Continue reading...

Headaches and Migraines

Access Magazine, 1999

Access Rates Headache and Migraine Web Sites

MIGRAINE AWARENESS GROUP: M.A.G.N.U.M.

A nonprofit health care organization conceived in 1993, MAGNUM offers an outstanding array of information for America's estimated 26 million migraine sufferers. Though the site can be slow to load, the bicoastal list of migraine and headache clinics, drug profiles, alternative treatments and questions to ask your doctor are worth the wait. Migraine sufferers should click on Disability & Impairment to read articles on coping with migraines at home and work. Myth and Reality dispels common fallacies about migraines. Continue reading...

The Artist: Michael John Coleman

DCity Magazine, Cover Story
by Sophia Muessig
1999

Have you ever been gripped by an image so powerful that you are stunned in appreciation of its beauty and depth? Michael John Coleman, the founder and executive director of the nonprofit healthcare organization MAGNUM--Migraine Awareness Group: a National Understanding for Migraineurs--also known as the National Migraine Association, is also an artist. He speaks openly and candidly about living with and suffering from debilitating migraines and the one time he had thought about ending it all. Continue reading...

They Found Help, and Hope, Online

Access Magazine
by Laura Lipton
1999

Health Web sites can make a difference in a person's life-just ask these three.

Whether patients, family members, medical professionals or casual browsers, Americans are going online to find health and medical information in increasing numbers. In 1998, 22 million U.S. adults used the Internet to research diseases, treatments, prescription drugs and related medical data, according to Internet research firm Cyber Dialogue, which estimates the number will grow to at least 33 million by 2000.

What, exactly, are people seeking? Support, comfort and, above all, facts. "Before the Internet, I didn't know anything about the drugs I was taking," says Lisa Trainor, who takes medication to control her epileptic seizures. "Now, I can go to the FDA site and read about the side effects or read about new medicines as they're released."  Continue reading...

Multifactoral Approach to Migraine Disease Treatment

Integrative Medicine, 1998
by Michael John Coleman, Executive Director
Terri Miller Burchfield, IEMBA, Legislative Director
MAGNUM, The National Migraine Association

"One pill makes you smaller, one pill makes you larger, the pills mother gives you do nothing at all," observed the Cheshire-Cat. Over one hundred years ago, a fine art photographer took us on a wonderful journey through the eyes of Alice. The photographer-turned-writer drew from his personal experience with the disease he so suffered from, that of Migraine. His name was Lewis Carroll. And one may argue that if it were not for his constant Migraine attacks, he may not have been inspired to give us these gifts of fantasy by writing Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There.

Finally, advanced technology and the age of information have begun to give us the knowledge we need to understand this debilitating condition. Migraine disease is a serious health and disability problem that affects approximately 23-26 million Americans . There is no known cure for Migraine disease, only treatments for its symptoms. Furthermore, such treatments are not yet wholly effective. People with migraines may show a diminished tolerance to a variety of medications, treatments, and pain management regimens. Therefore, it is important for Migraine suffers to take a MULTIFACTORIAL approach to treating this illness.  Continue reading...

The Drain of Migraine

NurseWeek and HealthWeek Magazines
March 6, 1998
Illustrations by Malcolm Garris/PhotoDisc

The Super Bowl was on low volume in the background as Michael Coleman worked at his headquarters for a migraine awareness group. When he heard that Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis was leaving the football field because of a migraine, "we immediately perked up our ears‹we couldn¹t believe they were talking about migraine at the Super Bowl on network TV," he said.

Davis's ability to abort his migraine and gain 93 yards in the second half of the game was a mixed blessing, however, for those who advocate better awareness of migraines. "It opened dialogue and you can¹t beat that," said Coleman, executive director of MAGNUM, or Migraine Awareness Group: A National Understanding for Migraineurs, based in Alexandria, Virginia.

But Coleman is worried that the incident left the misimpression that a severe migraine sufferer could rebound quickly and go on to excel in a football game. Continue reading...

Letters to the Editor Regarding Migraine Cover Story

Newsweek Magazine
January 31, 1999
Letters To the Editor

A Heady Matter

The Migraine Awareness Group (MAGNUM) applauds your efforts to raise awareness about migraines. However, it is important to note that certain opinions expressed in your article, such as Michel Ferrari's statement "There's very little science, if any, demonstrating all these trigger factors really are important," remain controversial in the medical community. While a single trigger factor may not provoke attacks 100 percent of the time, and may not be a trigger factor for all patients, clinical observations and patient experience demonstrate that migraine trigger factors are indeed real. Continue reading...

Finally, Mercy for Migraine Sufferers

Business Week Magazine
Department: Personal Business: HEALTH
Edited by Amy Dunkin

Lawrence Newman started getting migraines when he was 12. ``My doctors told my family I was getting headaches because I was worried about going to a good college,'' he says. ``You hear that, and you learn there's not much point in complaining.'' Many years and several degrees later, Newman, 40, is director of the Headache Institute at St. Luke' s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York. He is also one of a growing cadre of doctors educating the medical profession and the public about migraine treatments.

Recently discovered therapies have given cause for optimism. A new class of drugs called triptans can stop severe migraines in 30 minutes to an hour, allowing patients to function normally. In addition, magnesium supplements have proved effective for some. Continue reading...

What I Learned at the Migraine Clinic

What makes your child's head hurt?

Here's How To Tell — and Help Her Find Relief.